Presidential aspirants within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) opposition coalition have unanimously agreed to endorse and support the eventual candidate who emerges from the party's primaries ahead of the crucial 2027 general election. This significant resolution was reached during a caucus meeting of ADC leaders held recently in Abuja, a gathering that also definitively ruled out the party's adoption of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA).

Further directives issued during the caucus meeting included a clear order for all party members to relinquish their membership in any other political parties, although a specific timeframe for this compliance was not articulated. The high-level meeting was chaired by the ADC national chairman, Senator David Mark, and saw the attendance of several prominent political figures. These included the party’s national secretary, Ogbeni Rauf; national publicity secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai; former Rivers governor, Chibuike Amaechi; former Sokoto State governor, Senator Aminu Tambuwal; former Kwara governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed; former minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Ali Pantami; and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, among others. Notably, the national leader of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, was absent from the meeting but conveyed his commitment to the decisions made by the caucus. So far, Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Chibuike Amaechi have publicly expressed their interest in vying for the ADC’s presidential ticket for the 2027 contest.

Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, the national publicity secretary, shared the outcomes of the closed-door discussions. He confirmed that “The Coalition has rested everything concerning the ADA. That means, they are not interested in the registration or otherwise of the association.” He further emphasized the unity among the hopefuls, stating, “All the presidential aspirants have agreed to support whoever wins the primaries election.” Regarding party loyalty, Abdullahi reiterated, “Though a final order has been given to all members to resign membership of other political parties, the Caucus was silent on the timeline.” He also indicated that the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) would soon unveil its strategic plans for the upcoming off-cycle governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti states. Prior to the official disclosure, Atiku Abubakar had alluded to the meeting on his X handle, remarking, “I am currently at the stakeholders meeting of the Coalition African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Abuja. It’s a meeting of the Nigerian people against the oligarchs who promote poverty and insecurity in the land.”

Peter Obi’s absence from the Abuja meeting was due to a three-day trip to the United States of America, encompassing visits to Washington, Chicago, and a stopover in Atlanta. Sharing his travel observations on his X handle, Obi detailed his journey with Delta Airlines and his arrival at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which he noted handles over 100 million passengers annually, approximately five times the total traffic of all Nigerian airports combined. He highlighted the airport’s significant economic contribution, generating about $32 billion annually for Atlanta City and $70 billion for the Atlanta metropolitan area and the State of Georgia.

Obi further pointed out that Atlanta City operates on an annual budget of about $3 billion. He mentioned meeting Mayor Andre Dickens, a former businessman whose priorities include public safety, crime reduction, youth opportunities, and a minimum wage of $15 per hour for council workers. Reflecting on a shared flight with Mayor Dickens from Atlanta to Washington, Obi observed the absence of typical Nigerian official fanfare: no special announcements, no aides carrying bags, and no queue-jumping during boarding or disembarkation. He used this observation to critique Nigerian public conduct, stating, “In Nigeria, governors—most of whom oversee budgets smaller than Atlanta’s—and even local government chairmen, whose allocations are less than 1% of Atlanta’s, would have constituted a public nuisance with sirens, protocol officers, endless announcements, large entourages, and posters everywhere. Our public conduct and behaviour must change,” underscoring a call for improved public discipline and fiscal responsibility among Nigerian leaders.